


The Mermaid's Son

by Seaowl



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Capsicle, Capsicle makes an appearance, I had to look up fish for this story just to match some colors, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, Mermaid Maria Stark, Mermaid Tony Stark, No Better We Die Like Men, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Ocean Tries To Play Matchmaker, nothing too bad really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27075433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seaowl/pseuds/Seaowl
Summary: You’ve probably heard the story before, of a beautiful mermaid who lost her cloak and hidden on her by her human husband?She lives her days as a dutiful wife and mother, but her gaze always lingers on the sea, yearning to return to its waves. Sometimes she gets lucky; she finds her cloak and runs home. Other times she can only scream in horror as her husband burns her cloak, each scream getting louder and until the cloak is no more, and she falls silent.But what of her children?
Relationships: Minor Steve Rogers/Tony Stark - Relationship
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	The Mermaid's Son

You’ve probably heard the story before, of a beautiful mermaid who lost her cloak and hidden on her by her human husband?

She lives her days as a dutiful wife and mother, but her gaze always lingers on the sea, yearning to return to its waves. Sometimes she gets lucky; she finds her cloak and runs home. Other times she can only scream in horror as her husband burns her cloak, each scream getting louder and until the cloak is no more, and she falls silent.

But what of her children? Do they follow their ocean mothers? Or do they not hear the call of the sea at all like their earthly fathers? I suppose it depended on who the child took after, perhaps it changes throughout their life, who knows.

Tony and his mama had been playing on the beach, building sandcastles like they always do when the weather’s nice, and Howard is either too far away or too drunk to care. Maria constantly glancing from her three-year-old son to the waves that rolled onto the shore.

Tony had followed his mama’s gaze, watching as each wave brought little treasures. “Look, Mama!” Tony cheered, holding a small piece of driftwood.

Maria only nodded before turning back towards the water.

“Come. Come back to us.”

Tony looked around, who had said that?

“We miss you, come back.”

Tony clung to his Mama, his heart hurting. “Mama, who is saying that?”

Maria flinched, tearing her gaze towards Tony. “You are my child.”

From that day forward Maria made sure to tell Tony stories of lost mermaids and their human husbands who purposely misdirect them.

When Tony is fourteen and at MIT the call of the sea is as loud as ever, and ache to go just as strong. At this point in his life, he resents his father, the man who was never there, or when he was there it was just a violent drunk. He loves his mother but he resents her too, just a little bit. Only during the times, he finds her searching the mansion, encouraging him to search too because he knows if she finds what she is looking for, she’ll leave him too.

He wished he never told her he could hear the voices.

“Come back.”

“Come home.”

“You’ll be happier down here.”

“We have a friend waiting to meet you.”

He drowns out the voices with alcohol, parties, and building.

When Tony is twenty-one he becomes an orphan. He finds a cloak hidden away in his father’s labs. It looks nothing like something Howard would own, but his mama would.

“Put it on.”

“Put it on and come to us.”

“Put it on and come home.”

“Put it on, he’s waiting for you.”

Tony marches to the sea and puts on the damn cloak.

Under the waves, Tony has never felt more whole. The ache is gone, and the waves along with all that live in them are his family. He collects the treasures the waves used to gift him. He builds with those treasures, some of them he uses to improve his cloak.

Exploring the colder waters in the north Tony finds something, different. It was nothing special at first glance, a chunk of ice floating among the waves. Personally, Tony admired the ice, how hard it is, and how beautiful. It would be a wonderful protective layer on his cloak. He wishes he could attach it to his cloak like some of his cousins from the cold waters, but it would not last in the warmer water where he usually swims.

Tony laid his hand on the ice when he noticed. Inside, there was someone, with two legs, like Howard.

Tony darts away, eyes never leaving the ice. The man was taller than Howard, his hair a different color, like a yellow tang. He looks to be around the same age as Tony too. Looking lower he sees something circular, it silver, blue, and red, like the neon tetra from the Amazon, only a darker shade. In the middle looked like the outline of a silver sea star.

He has to be dead, humans don’t survive as his family does.

“No, he’s not dead.”

Tony looks at the ice a second time, no the man in the ice is not dead. His heart is still beating.

“He’s been our guest a long time, and now he’s our gift to you.”

Tony’s not sure what to do with a human, getting him out of the ice would be a start he guessed.

Pushing the ice along Tony brought it to warmer waters to let it start melting. When the man was almost unfrozen Tony brought him and to land. There Tony shed his cloak for the first time in years.

“Stay with him,” the waves whispered.

Tony frowned, did his home not want him anymore?

“He needs you more right now, come home when he doesn’t need you anymore.”

The yellowed haired man coughed, opening eyes as blue as the waves. He blushed taking in Tony’s naked form. “Where am I?”

Tony sticks out his hand, he remembers some human etiquette after all. “I’m Tony, I found you.”

The yellowed haired man shook it. “I’m Steve Rogers.” 

As Tony looked into those ocean colored eyes he thought, maybe Steve can be my home too.


End file.
